Alabama Democratic infighting continues as Election Day draws nearer

Infighting continues three weeks after Sen. Doug Jones (D-Mountain Brook) engineered a failed takeover of the Alabama Democratic Party.

In the latest round of school-yard antics, prominent state Rep. Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa) – who was on team-Jones in the ill-fated attempt to unseat party Chair Nancy Worley – has publicly posted criticism of the Alabama Democratic Party 12 times this week.

“At some point before November, I sure hope that the Party will spend a little time and money helping our candidates get elected,” England complained on Facebook. “Surely, that’s not too much to ask, right?”
With 67 days until the November 6 General Election, the Alabama Democratic Party has not tweeted for 205 consecutive days.

This has sparked renewed resentment and conspiracy theories alike, with one democrat tweeting, “Starting to believe [the state party] exist[s] to sabotage Alabama Democratic candidates.”

The new intra-party turmoil comes as Worley faces a lawsuit from former Marion County Democratic Party chair Susan Cobb and a Jefferson County Democrat who has filed a formal complaint with national party officials.

In an interview with Alabama Public Television’s Don Dailey recently, Worley suggested that the group – led by Jones – seeking to oust her as chair may have been influenced by a “tiny bit of racism.”

Worley was backed by the Alabama Democratic Caucus (ADC), the party’s black caucus led by long-time party boss Joe Reed.

Reed, in an interview earlier this month with liberal political blog AL.com, compared Jones to the late Gov. George Wallace.

“Although the 101-89 vote for Worley was face-saving close, it was still a very high-profile blow to the state’s most visible Democrat,” Reed added, referring to Jones.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn